This Planter Tells You When it Needs Water

Grow flowers, vegetables and herbs on your deck or patio

Self-watering planter has an indicator to tell you when the reservoir needs refilling

Long-lasting, UV-stabilized polypropylene

All of our self-watering planters protect against drought, but this one does more — it has a water-level indicator that tells you when to refill the reservoir, and a convenient funnel that lets you water from the top. Made of UV-stabilized polypropylene, these planters resist cracking, chipping and fading, and the sides are braced to prevent bowing. Choice of Terra Cotta, Stone or Green.

I bought these in the 32" size because I planned to use them next year to grow pole beans and morning glory to cover my patio walls, which are surrounded by concrete. The containers I used previously were a little to small to handle all the plants I had in them, especially such fast growing plants.

When they arrived, I was really happy to see the were not bright white, like they appeared in the picture. They're a light beige and a little speckled, and they look quite nice. I was too impatient to put them away until next year, so I filled them with fall vegetables and greens that I didn't yet have space for in my raised bed.

They are a nice size for lettuce, and I've also got Swiss chard, kale, and baby bok choy, with the hopes that the containers have enough space for their roots. So far, so good!

They are outside, and they are exposed to rain. After a heavy rain, the reservoir is filled past the "Max" line, which could be bad for some plants whose roots reach the bottom. When possible, I've moved the planters to a covered area when a heavy rain is predicted, to prevent drowning my little plants.

The containers can also be used like a standard container if you put holes in the bottom and take out the reservoir. It would be nice is they could have the best of both worlds- if there were drainage holes above the max fill line, so some water could be stored, but it would prevent overfilling. I may experiment with drilling such holes when I use these containers again next year.

After buying 3 of the larger 32" size of these containers, I came back and bought 3 of the 24" containers. I really like the look of them, and they're a very functional size and shape.

It works great. I love it you only need to add water every few days, instead of every day. My herbs are growing great. I usually manage to kill the herbs in about month. But this year they are growing better than ever.

First, on reading the assembly instructions it turns out you need to drill holes in it with an electric drill, so I had to call a friend to do that - it should have been stated up front in the product information. Then, during filling, one of the corners cracked. I don't think this product is nearly as good as Gardener's Supply usually sends.

Was this a gift?:

No

Bottom LineNo, I would not recommend this to a friend

Merchant response: We are so sorry to hear about this reviewer's experience! Unfortunately, we were unable to find the original order with the information that was provided. We stand behind our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee on every product, so a quick call to our friendly customer service staff at 1-800-876-5520 will get this issue resolved right away!

second time ordering these self watering containersliked them the 1st time. The newer ones have a different water level indicator that I don't like as well as the old ones. The difference between empty and full of the indicator is a very short distance, so I find it hard to tell just how empty the container is. Otherwise, the system works great.

This planter is not extremely rigid so may not seem like a quality product to some. I am using it for herbs and it fits my purpose well. I had to call and ask what the support bar was for because it's not covered in the instructions. It's a brace that fits across the center of the planter to keep the sides from bulging out. It went together very easily and the self watering feature works fine.

Product Instructions

Articles

Beautiful, bountiful planters depend on good soil, fertilizer and careful watering. But to take your planters from standard to sensational, you need the right plants. Start with this simple rule: Combine plants with three different habits. In other words, thrillers, fillers and spillers.

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